#body neutrality

[lylahammar]

I think the important thing about body neutrality and body positivity existing side by side is that body positivity is a big hurdle for people who are just starting to work on learning to love their bodies. When someone's at their lowest point, it's better to say "aim for just fine," and once they reach that level of neutrality where they can appreciate the functional ways their body is serving them, it's a lot more feasible to make the jump to seeing the visual beauty of it.

#just a random thought #I've had a lot of people in my life ask how to get started on learning to love themselves and their bodies #and this is always the advice I give them #just aim for being okay with your body not good not bad just fine #appreciate what your body is able to do for you #and what it's able to survive and function with #and then you'll naturally start to build a relationship there #it's kinda like becoming friends with someone before you jump to dating #you gotta get to know em first if you want it to be a serious relationship that you build over time #lyla's talking again #fat liberation #body positivity #body neutrality

[resiliencewithin]

Daily Gratitude

April 24, 2024

What are you grateful for today?

Welcome to my gratitude support group! All are welcome to be a part of the gratitude crew. Re-blog, write a note or send an ask as often as makes sense for you (just once, every day, twice a year, a few times a month— doesn’t matter!)

I tag parts of the crew almost every day. If you’d like to be on the tag list let me know.

All posts will be tagged ‘resiliencewithin’s daily gratitude group’.

Prompt (if you want): Why are you grateful for your eyes?

#mental health #gratitude #positivity #self care #self love #body posititivity #body neutrality #body gratitude prompt series #more coming #resiliencewithin’s daily gratitude group

[welldrawnfish]

mini comic

#art #transgender #my art #transgirl #transisbeautiful #comics #oc #doodle #illustration #original art #body image #body positive #body neutrality

[identitty-dickruption]

body neutrality is NOT, "so long as you're happy and healthy, your body is a good body". it's about getting rid of the idea of a "good body" at all. it's saying that your body is A BODY, and having a body is a neutral feature of all humans. it's saying that specific bodies shouldn't be focussed on more than others, because all bodies are bodies

when you say "so long as you're happy and healthy", you're not actually helping. because. unless you've put in the hard work of deconstructing what you think "happiness" and "healthiness" look like, I can guarantee "happy and healthy" is just going to loop back to ableism and fatphobia

#body neutrality #politics

[kaijutegu]

Beating the Heat while Fat: A Summer Survival Guide

Summer is (almost) here and it’s going to be hotter than ever. If you’re fat (like me), you know how much hot weather sucks. Specifically, we get to deal with fun issues like underboob sweat, chub rub, skin fold sunburn, and more. And while I like to take a body neutral approach to everything, this can be hard in summer thanks to exclusion and neglect.

The thing is that not a lot of people really... talk about these things, though, because that would interfere with our image of summer. Not a lot of companies are marketing their stuff as a solution to fat people’s problems, because that would be acknowledging that fat people might actually want to go outside during summer.

Having been fat for many a summer now, I want to share some of my resources for enjoying summer! These are all based on personal recommendations and things I have directly experienced. Please feel free to reblog and add on with your experiences and recommendations!

However, if your commentary is even remotely fatphobic, you will be blocked and your comments will be deleted. This post is not for you, and nobody is actually interested in what you have to say!

Back and Underboob Sweat

Two words: Gold Bond. Gold Bond fixes this. It comes in powder, stick, and spray form. I’ve used the powder in shoes, but not on my body. They’ve recently released an invisible form of the spray, which I’m very excited about.

Spray this under your breast tissue or other skin folds, or on flat areas of skin like your lower back that tend to sweat. Some of their powders have aloe in them, which is delightfully soothing for the skin.

Make sure that if you’re sensitive to scent, you buy one of the unscented versions. The “fresh” scent is nice, but it is a scent!

When you’re using this type of spray, do it clean but dry. Don’t do it right after a shower- give your skin a chance to dry off. Lift your breast or skin fold, spray underneath, and then hold it for a couple of seconds to let the spray dry down.

You can also use other types of powder, like body powder or baby powder. There’s mixed evidence about talc-containing powder and its link to cancer, but some people do find talcum powder more irritating than talc-free powder, so whether or not you use this is up to you.

Do keep in mind that this is NOT sunscreen! Apply your sunscreen first for areas of exposed skin.

Chub Rub

Dealing with the tops of your thighs rubbing together is extremely unfun. There are a couple of ways I like to deal with this!

Slip Shorts

I actually reviewed a bunch of these a few years ago. Slip shorts or bike shorts are perfect for wearing under dresses or loose-fitting rompers as a way to stop your thighs from rubbing. As a bonus, if you’re using bike shorts, sometimes they come with extra pockets to stash stuff in.

Friction Sticks

If you’re wearing a swimsuit and don’t want to wear shorts, or just don’t want to wear shorts, period, then a friction stick is another good way to avoid chub rub! I have a couple, Bodyglide and Gold Bond.

If you’re buying Bodyglide, they have one that’s just as good, Bodyglide Outdoor, that is sometimes cheaper. There’s a Bodyglide “For Her” which I’ve never tried, but that’s usually more expensive and let’s be real, do you really need to moisturize your inner thighs? I think not!

There’s also creams you can use but I find those messy and less effective than the sticks. You might like them, though! Experiment with products to find the one(s) that work for you.

Friction sticks can also stop foot blisters. Rub a little on your heel, toe, or wherever you get hot spots. 

Dealing With Sweat

I sweat, you sweat, we all sweat. Humans were meant to sweat. Sweating’s a good thing. But that doesn’t mean it’s fun, and frankly I hate being sweaty. Typically, fat people sweat more than thin people, for several reasons related to the way we thermoregulate.

Fortunately, there are lots of ways to make summer sweating less annoying. I’ve written about this before, so you can check out that post for some of my favorite tips for dealing with sweat. Here’s some of the highlights.

Evaporative Cooling

A bandanna or other wrap filled with water crystals can do AMAZING things. You can make this yourself really easily- if you can’t find water crystals, you can just use Orbeez. They sell little 99 cent packs of those in the checkout lines at some stores and at the dollar store, and you can make several cooling wraps with one packet.

You can also get evaporative cooling towels, like Frogg Toggs. I don’t like those as much because they tend to start smelling a little funny, but they’re great for larger area coverage.

Using these will help cool you down and will do the same thing that sweat does– without being sticky.

Hair

If you have long hair, get it off the back of your neck. I used to put it up in a bun with a bun former, but now I just use claw clips. They’re cuter and easier! Seriously, this will help you so much. Get the hair up and away from your skin, you’ll feel so much better.

Hand Fans

I always have a hand fan with me, but not one of the little battery operated ones. I’ve tried a lot of those! I even took one up a mountain once, and it was the only reason I survived. But they never provide the same level of breeze that my folding fan does.

I use this one because it’s cute, and you can get cute ones for a couple bucks on Amazon. I do prefer fabric to the stiff paper ones, just because they’re a bit more durable- I’ve had mine for years now. It’s good.

I’m also not a huge fan of those fans that go around your neck, but I’ve seen many people enjoying them. If they work for you, great!

Hydration and Electrolytes

Carry water with you when you go places, and if you’re gonna be out for a while doing anything strenuous, take some electrolyte tablets with you. I like Nuun because I think they taste good, but there’s lots of brands out there.

There’s no one mineral called electrolyte, just so you know. Electrolytes are a group of minerals that includes sodium, potassium, and chloride as the primary (or significant) electrolytes. Electrolytes are important because they have a natural positive or negative electrical charge when dissolved in water. This electricity is how your nerves transmit information and how your cells make your muscles contract, so low levels of electrolytes can cause some serious issues. Different electrolyte imbalances have different symptoms, but common symptoms include nausea, fatigue, confusion, tremors, muscle spasms (cramps), and dizziness.

If you’re feeling those as you’re moving around outside, get somewhere cool, drink some water, and either eat some food or add electrolyte tablets to your water. This will help stabilize you quickly!

Skin Fold Sunburn Prevention

Everybody should wear sunscreen, period. End of story.

But if you’re applying sunscreen by yourself and you have skin folds, it can be a pain to reach them! This is especially true for any folds that form on your upper back or around your upper arm.

These areas can burn and be very painful, especially if you’re in swimwear or a sleeveless top. It’s also VERY easy to forget that these areas need sunscreen!

If you don’t want or don’t have someone to help you apply those areas you can’t reach, spray sunscreen can be a way to get those areas. If you don’t like the spray or want heavier coverage with a cream, then use a lotion applicator!

If the stick style doesn’t work for you (like if you have shoulder mobility issues), the strap style asks for a different range of motion. If you can’t find one that works for you at a big box store, look at a pharmacy. These are often sold as disability aids or for elderly people with a reduced range of motion.

But honestly, one of the most important things about this is just knowing your body. Know where your skin folds are and think about how they move as you’re applying sunscreen. Get underneath them- as you move, those areas can be exposed to the sun, too.

So yeah, that’s my best advice for beating the heat while fat. If you’ve got other tips, feel free to share them!

#summer #body neutrality #i do not know how to tag this #also please don't complain about the length of the post #it's a reference guide a tldr would be meaningless

[luminarai]

kintsugi (all my scars are golden) // prints, etc

#my art #body art #body postivity #body neutrality #kintsugi #stretch marks #scars #growth #ink art #artists on tumblr #digital art

[brytning]

Everyone knows it's that time of year when many people feel compelled to set goals to alter their body and restrict their food. The pressure to be thin is everywhere---it's the water we swim in. If you want to take care of your body, I hope this is the year you learn more about weight-neutral approaches to health! The Health At Every Size movement and books by fat activist Aubrey Gordon are great places to start!

#haes #health at every size #fat activism #fatphobia #weight stigma #body positivity #body neutrality #intuitive eating #self-care sunday #self-care

[ed-recovery-affirmations]

Stretch marks are normal. Cellulite is normal. That place on the abdomen that doesn't lie flat is normal. Pimples are normal. Body hair is normal. Wrinkles are normal. You do not owe the world a version of you that is free of these things.

#body positivity #body posi #body neutral #body neutrality #body positive #healing #body image

[incognitopolls]

We ask your questions so you don’t have to! Submit your questions to have them posted anonymously as polls.

#polls #incognito polls #anonymous #tumblr polls #tumblr users #questions #comfort #body confidence #body positive #body positivity #body neutrality #nonsexual nudity #nudity #polls about the body #polls about relationships #submitted nov 2

[its-tortle]

i don't know who needs to hear this, but you're allowed to gain weight in your twenties. you are a grown ass adult now. your body can and should not be the same as it was at seventeen. allow it to grow along with you <3

#i know i struggle with it #but its silly to #body positivity #body neutrality

[chilikit]

hey, fat people. you don't need a reason to be fat. you don't need to make excuses for your body. don't apologize for taking up space. i love you.

#fatphobes stay the HELL away from my post #okay for thin people to interact just don't be fatphobic #body positive #body postivity #fat liberation #body neutrality

[neptunes-cunt]

i love you consistent meals i love you steady blood sugar i love you little snacks i love you non-diet foods i love you full-fat yogurt i love you sugary drinks i love you intuitive eating i love you full stomach i love you breaking free from diet culture i love you body that just wants to keep me alive

#intuitive eating #anti diet #ed recovery #fuck diet culture #body neutrality #body positive #fat body positivity #midsize #feeders dni pls

[boy-gender]

fat trans men i need y’all to know:

you can get top surgery while fat

you can go on hormones while fat

you can be in a loving relationship while fat

you can pass while fat

you can be worthy of love and respect and space while fat

you can have a respectful relationship with your body while fat

you can be trans while being fat!!!

being fat will not stop you from being trans!!!

i love you!!!

#trans men #trans man #trans rights #body positivity #body positive #fat liberation #transgender #trans #trans men positivity #trans men pride #trans masc positivity #trans masc pride #transmasc #trans masc #body neutrality #transblr #og

[moonfirebrides]

PlusLoveDesigns

Feminist, body positive, fat positive art by @ruthsdesigns

#fat positive #body positive #mermaid #plus size #plus size mermaid #black women #mixed race women #siren #semi nude #fat #beauty #fat acceptance #body neutrality #black beauty #black woman #dark skin

[whatbigotspost]

Every time I hear someone much older than me talking about how their shame about their bodies and weight have robbed them of all kinds of fun experiences and simple joys and delights in life, it breaks my fucking heart. Older women, in particular, have been shamed into and forced into (and perpetuated themselves) so many stupid narratives about what one "can't do" if you look a certain way. Sometimes they don't even notice it...they'll just casually be saying something like, "I would have loved to play volleyball back in school but this big ass wasn't going to look right in those shorts tee hee" and I'm like that's??? actually??? tragic???????? Especially when it's something they COULD still pursue or try but they've got a fixed mindset about it.

My 84 year old aunt really spent all of her 30s-60s believing that she COULDN'T just put on a swimsuit and enjoy the water in the summer. I have so many memories of this mindset affecting her all summer. Just casually existing by a pool in a swimsuit was something that women who looked like her Could Not Do. This is someone who broke so many gender barriers in her field, who was a pioneer and a bad ass, but who held herself back from something she truly enjoyed for DECADES because she's fat. A couple of years ago she told me how stupid she feels having thought like that now that her age has changed her mobility and safety in going to a pool and it's no longer literally possible for her to do so.

She bought the bullshit and deprived herself of happiness when it was possible, so she lost her chance at hundreds of moments of simple enjoyment she now looks back on sadly.

Really sadly.

I think this is a topic where we can literally see a huge generational change among society right now. The bitchy boomer who says something like, "oh she should NOT be wearing that" when a happy, chunky Gen Zer bops by in a crop top sounds like the death rattles of an ancient relic to most of us in younger generations. After we get over the overt hate that surges when we hear things like that, most of us can see right through that prickly exterior into the deeply damaged, sad, and vulnerable person inside who is the one that's the real problem in the equation.

And yet, while it can be easy to think, "Thank god I'm not like THAT" none of us are truly immune to the messages that are blasted in our faces all the time that still shame fatness and make us feel like we owe society a certain kind of "beauty."

Just keep an eye out for any limiting beliefs you have that are depriving you from joy and delight you want and need. As anyone like my aunt could tell you, you won't someday look back and think, "I sure am glad I didn't do what made me happy all those years!"

#fatphobia #misogyny #body acceptance #body neutrality #advice

[hamgumber]

selected works from my senior exhibition at arizona state university. the last 4 years have not been easy, but i am happy with where it has taken my work, and even more grateful to be surrounded by such a strong support system who is receptive to my, frankly, odd artwork. my ethos behind a lot of this work is to bring furries, queerness, and diverse bodies into the high art world. we deserve to be seen and celebrated!

bonus: new growth is a self portrait. as is dogface, the yellow painting.

#artists on tumblr #furry art #anthro #dogs #surrealism #weirdfur #postfurry #art gallery #art exhibition #oil painting #painting #body posititivity #body neutrality #traditional art #artwork #pride